Honestly I'm surprised bethesda didn't do this earlier, since all mods utilizing the plugin/master format are essentially using TES5Edit or TESVSnip. Using a tool that to create plugins with records that are either missing or changed since FO4's records are definately not the same as TES5's, is just asking for issues. It makes more sense for Beth to disable plugin support until the Official SDK is released as it will cut down on false reports in regards to game stability and performance.

Its a smart move. For Bethesda the modding starts when they release the KIT, not before. It also saves them 1000 topics about save games breaking because someone used an Esp file they should not have.

I'd guess that, given Bethesda has not yet released the GECK, they provide "no support" for mods (yet), and that is why they have the update set to disable them. Makes complete sense from a development standpoint, and I've seen multiple warnings about using mods before the GECK is released here on these forums. If Nexus or any other host is not putting a similar warning on mods that are already available then shame on them, but it isn't Bethesda's bad.

Still if someone wasn't aware of this stuff, I can see how it would be aggravating. Just consider it an early lesson: using mods is 'risky' even under the best of circumstances. Do it at your own peril or whatever that saying is.

If they are worried about that they should get the tools out faster.

Can't rush a masterpiece... unless its a perfect circle or something...

Here's an easy way to solve the problem for PC users (most mod users, assuming you have some tech aptitude). Go to your (Hidden, Control Panel enabled 'Folder options') 'C:\Users\\Appdata\Local\Fallout4' folder. Make a shortcut and save a shortcut to that folder to save you future aggravation.. Locate the 'plugins.txt' file. This is the file the game will (so far, always) overwrite. Launch your Mod manager program (I use 'Nexus Mod Manager', NMM). Activate all the mods and plugins you want (have they already been substantially changed with the latest patches? Are you sure you want to overwrite the default settings now?) . Be sure the mods are also activated from the 'Plugins' Tab on NMM. Now exit NMM. Jump back to your "user\appdata" folder and locate the 'plugins.txt' file. Make a local copy. Mark your 'plugins.txt' file as 'read only' (Right click, properties). If you want to make ANY voluntary changes for your mods. Reverse that process before any updates. (Mark the file 'read/write', update mods, make a copy of 'plugins.txt', make it 'read only' again). Rinse and repeat as necessary.

But just a further point that deserves to be made, it is my understanding that it is a 'bad idea' to be using mods at this point. I do not have the technical knowledge to say specifically why, nor to differentiate between the mods that "are fine" and those that "are not." Suffice to say, there are a number of very experienced Bethesda modders on these forums who have warned everyone that things like this (and worse) are the possible consequence of using mods before the GECK is released, or for that matter ever using mods that have been made using anything except the GECK.

If any of you have the expertise to provide a succinct summary of how mods work and what types are always going to be safe, whether they were made with the GECK or not, I have no desire to debate you on that, as I just do not have the expertise. Safest bet for those of us who lack such technical expertise is to just not use any until such time as the GECK is released.

Doesn't mean that using a mod that is already out is going to cause your computer to implode, your bank account to be emptied out and a mutated limb to sprout from your forehead.

But it does mean that your save games into which you've 'invested' many hours, could at some point become unplayable and leave you with no option but to restart.

ADDIT: and just to clarify: I am not in anyway "anti-mod." My Skyrim build has some 120 mods in it and I eventually plan to have a similarly hefty FO4 build. But as I learned the hard way some years ago, not all mods are 'safe' to use, and those which are out already may well be unsafe in one way or another.

Funny enough mods fix very game breaking bugs at the moment that take minutes to fix, while 4 weeks later this newest patch still doesn't lol.

Well Bethesda sure changed my schedule. I have to use NMM - which I gave up on long ago - because I need it to enable ESPs. I hope Mod Organizer comes online quickly.

I have to use F4SE - far before it is ready - because Bethesda is not to be trusted with loader changes. No telling what they will do next to cripple mods.

For a company so dependent on the modding community, Trust and Communication should be more of the dialog.

Can't you use a mod manager like FOMM or NMM to enable/disable your plugins and launch with the Script Extender?

It's been like that since Morrowind or Oblivion

You guys sure like getting your panties in a bunch over the simplest of things.

s mod users you should be handling loading, enabling, re-enabling, and any mod quirkiness in your stride.

Or you can come here and act like the world is ending ... there's that, too.

re-install your mods and saves should work fine.

There is really miscommunication on this issue.

You can reinstall your mod 100 times - the loader still disables ALL esp files every time you start Fallout 4.

This may or may not be what Bethesda intended - they aren't saying.

Well, I don't use NMM, the only few mods I use I have put there by hand (main one being one that stopd the freaking loading screens spewing spoilers, thanks for needing that..) If I manually add them to the plugins.txt file after I've opened the launcher I seem to be good to go. copy paste is a friend, it doesn't take a wizard to copy paste few lines from one txt file to another.

About the move though, if it's intentional move from Beth side, I wonder what they hope to achieve. Yes, the official mod tool is not out yet and yes, even this far people had to do minor ini tweak to get the esp files to be recognised. But those who use mods are ready to do those tweaks, and adding few hoops to jump will not stop anyone. It's like trying to stop a river with a spoon. If it's about gesture the gesture was already there in the first place. What they did now will do nothing to "stop the mod related errors" because those who want to use mods, will use mods.

Edit: on a related note, please consider adding into your games a Display option [ ] Blank loading screens. The animations they show are fancy, the tips are good. But there are those of use who don't want to see stuff before we find it in the game.

Those reading and understanding the purpose of this thread, which is about the effect of the update on mods, care what it did to mods.

During the early life of a Bethesda game, when the game is still being updated regularly, it's not a bad idea to keep Steam in offline mode so that you will learn about the patch before you actually download it. You can read the forums, as well as the comment sections for your favorite mods to determine if there is anything you need to back-up or address before you update your own game.

You can get around the change by using NMM to re-enable plugins after you've started the launcher (which resets plugins file) but before you've start the game (which then reads the plugins file).

However some have reported that quite a few of their addons have stopped working even with this change.

Additionally, I also hear that the supposed 'performance improvements' actually turn the FPS into a crock of ****, so I still want to avoid it. I've set Steam to Offline mod, but I'm nervous that it will go online the next time it boots up - it set FO4 to 'Update Paused' even though I started it offline, so if Steam goes back online for any reason I worry it will 'continue' the download.

Ah I see. You can launch the game outside the loader, the real crux though is the OP was complaining about not being able to load his saves. Using un-sanctioned mods come at your own risk. Once Bethesda does release the G.E.C.K for FO4 this type of problem won't crop up. Thanks for the correction as well.

Agree: Steam in Offline Mode for years now and it has served well.

I don't know if they are intentionally disabling or not. Some previous posts stated that the .ini file is just getting reset.

Assuming for a moment that it is 'intentional,' by not 'facilitating' mods at this point (prior to the official tool for making them) they put themselves into a better position to respond to any tech support requests/complaints with:

1. Are you running any mods, or have you made any changes to any of the files associated with the game?

2 If yes, sorry we cannot help.

I would think they need to solve problems with the vanilla game on the myriad platforms at this point, and doing what they can to filter out mod-related issues is sensible.

I'm wondering, does the patch at least fix the bug where Bull and Gouger are immortal at the end of Confidence Man?

It took more time to read about how someone had a problem with this issue than it did for me to resolve the issue for myself.

It's not just ini thing, I just tested, even if I had set my plugins.txt file to read only, after relaunch of the launcher it was missing the mod list. So it either can write there when it shouldn't be able to, or it just recreates it every time.

Anyway, what my point was, before this patch, to use the mods you had to either put the fileselection thing to your ini file, or manually insert the mods to your plugins.txt file, or use a mod manager that does the same. That was already gate that mod users had to pass, and adding this most recent hurdle will not stop anyone any more than those steps did. And those earlier steps were already enough for what you say about support. What I mean is, if it's already requiring manual tweaking of the game, adding a bit more manual tweaking to be involved is not actually serving any benefit. Those who want to pass it, pass it as easily as the previous one. And the deterring effect of it to the support stuff is also the same as the previous one.

The couldn't fix the MacCready perk bug in the patch? How long does it take to locate and change a multiplier from 20 to 0.20? Instead they disabled the mod that fixed it...

No, it adds 2000% accuracy so that you have permanently 95% on all headshots regardless of range and weapon...somebody messed up and put in 20 (=2000%) instead of 0.20 (=20%) as the multiplier bonus.